Anything and everything is game in this blog! Posts range from what it is like to live with a teenager to how to medicate a guinea pig. In between are sometimes notes about raising a child with Down syndrome....the hard times and the happy times. There are lots of happy times!

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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Family Harmony

I was looking through some pictures today and came across this one. You gotta just feel the love when you look at this picture, right!?! I guess Allison had no idea anyone was paying attention to what she was doing.

This really says a lot about Leah's and Allison's relationship. Allison is the bossy big sister and Leah is the submissive little sister. I cringe to think that I must have been just like this to my little sister at that age. At least my little sister was the same size as me and could fight back. Allison is not always arguing with Leah, but it is definitely happening more frequently, than it use to.

The closer Allison gets to the teen years, the meaner she has become toward Leah. We discuss it on an almost daily basis, trying to get Allison to see how she acts from Leah's point of view. No luck with that, though. Right now, Leah is the annoying little sister that says nothing but "stupid" and "annoying" things. (I have not made it on to that list yet, but I know my days are numbered ) Allison will be thirteen in August. She will be leaving elementary school behind in May and heading off to middle school in August. I am sure that as she makes that transition,that poor Leah will take some heat from Allison when things aren't going right at school or around the house. I know that there is little hope that I can change Allison's perception of her little sister at this point, but I look forward to the day when the are the best of friends again, and they look back and laugh at the things they did as children. I hope that is sooner rather than later.

3 comments:

My girls were the same way. When they were small, always fighting, arguing, pushing... Lately the two of them 24 and 20 go shopping together, hang out together. They commented on how glad they are that those childhood days are behind them!

You are right about older sisters and the "tween" years. We lived through it and it wasn't pretty. But, you are right to be patient. At some point Allison will make the decision to cut out the nonsense and just be decent again.

In Memory of My Mom. October 1941- March 1987

Rachel

Allison and Leah

About Me

I went to college for forever and got three degrees. At 33, I finally got a real job as a pediatric nurse. I worked at that job for about five years, until we started moving all over the country. At that point, I became a stay at home mom to our three girls. They are
now 14, 11, and 9. All three girls are very special in their own way, but our youngest is extra special. She was born with an extra 21st chromosome, which means she has Down syndrome. This blog was created to share our daily trials and tribulations with family and friends that are scattered around the country, but if it can help a family new to Down syndrome realize that their new little one is just like any other child, it will have served an even greater purpose. Welcome to the Keirnan Clan.